Southwest Journalists Trained On Conflict Sensitive Reporting

Some Journalists from Buea and Limbe have been trained on how to report conflict in ways that identify the problem and help to better understand and solve it, rather than aggravate the situation.

This was during a three-day training workshop held recently in Buea, organised by #DEFYHATENOW in collaboration with UNESCO and African Knowledge and Policy Centre.

The programme dubbed #Media4Peace was held under the theme “Catalyzing Media for Peace and Justice in Cameroon”.

The media men and women, ranging from television, radio, newspaper and online reporters were dwelled on conflict-sensitive issues, sharing experiences, and drawing best practices to reporting on sensitive issues.

They were told to do their work in compliance with the ethics of the profession focusing more on accuracy, truth, fairness and objectivity.

They were drilled on how to report without causing harm, especially in the context of the Anglophone crisis.

The training topics were centred on conflict reporting issues – issues that can resort to peace or prolong the conflict.

According to Eugene Fongwa, the lead trainer, the reason for the workshop was for Journalists to know how to report on conflict since they have a lot of power to influence the outcome of a conflict situation.

“The idea was to tell the journalist that they can make or mar the conflict so that they should be conscious of what they are reporting,” he said.

The seminar also dwelled on handling and reporting hate speech and other things which tend to be neglected in conflict, or given a voice to, when they rather need to be discouraged.

Mr Forngwa urged journalists to do their work with the utmost professionalism.

“If journalists do their work the way it is required, it will make a lot of positive impact in the conflict,” he said.

He, however, stated that if journalists carry out unethical practices in reporting conflicts, it can rather help to prolong the conflict.